Phrasal verb
argue out
Definition
phrasal verb. to talk about a problem or disagreement in detail until you find a solution or reach an agreement.
phrasal verb. to resolve a dispute or reach a conclusion through exhaustive discussion or debate.
Examples
“They stayed up late to argue out their differences.”
“The committee spent three hours trying to argue out the details of the new policy.”
“Rather than making a hasty decision, the board members decided to argue out every possible implication of the merger before voting.”
Examples
simple
“They stayed up late to argue out their differences.”
contextual
“The committee spent three hours trying to argue out the details of the new policy.”
complex
“Rather than making a hasty decision, the board members decided to argue out every possible implication of the merger before voting.”
Usage
often used with abstract nouns like 'differences', 'details', or 'points'.
Teaching tip
contrast with 'argue' (the act of fighting) by showing that 'argue out' implies a goal of reaching a resolution or 'emptying' the argument.
Pitfall
They argued out about the money.
They argued out the money issues.
this phrasal verb is transitive and takes the topic of the argument as a direct object without 'about'.
Phrasal verb
Particles
out
Separability
optional
Pattern
argue + out + object
Synonyms
Antonyms
Grammar
Scan code
englishreference.com/q/argue-out